Advanced Skill Feats
__NOEDITSECTION__These feats either build upon Basic Skill feats or affect your skills in an unusual way. Several of these feats require a Basic Skill feat as a prerequisite, improving the original feat’s benefits. Some expert classes offer ‘virtual’ Basic Skill feats, which are valid prerequisites for these types of Advanced Skill feats. Advanced Skill Mastery You’ve worked diligently to improve several related activities. Prerequisites: Career level 6+, any 1 Basic Skill feat. Benefit: Choose 1 Basic Skill feat you possess. The insight bonus with skill and Knowledge checks granted by the chosen feat increases to +3, and the listed skills’ base threat range becomes 18–20. Further, once per session, you may choose to re-roll 1 failed check with one of the chosen Basic Skill feat’s listed skills. You may not re-roll a critical failure. Special: You may choose this feat multiple times, each time applying it to a different Basic Skill feat you possess. Attention to Detail You’re meticulous when undertaking large projects. Benefit: You may take 20 with any skill check possessing an error range of up to 1–2 (typically, you may only take 20 with skill checks possessing an error range of 1). Further, when taking 20, your result cap is lifted. Finally, all of your secret checks gain the Cross-Check tag. Depth of Study You have multiple specialties. Benefit: You gain 2 additional skill focuses, or 2 skill fortes, or 1 of each. Special: You may choose this feat multiple times, each time gaining 2 additional skill focuses or fortes. Everyday Genius There may still be a few things you haven’t seen or done, but nothing surprises you anymore. Prerequisites: Career level 15+, Unfair Advantage. Benefit: As a full action, you may choose any 1 Basic Skill feat you do not possess (except a virtual Basic Skill feat). You gain the chosen feat as a temporary feat until the end of the current session. You may use this ability a number of times per mission equal to the number of Advanced Skill feats you possess. Experience Counts You’ve been doing this for a while and it shows. Prerequisites: Career Level 12+. Benefit: You may stack any 2 insight bonuses or 2 synergy bonuses you gain when making a skill check (but not both). Further, your maximum combined bonus of the chosen type increases to +8. False Start You’re so accustomed to using your skills that you automatically sense when your use of them is flawed. Prerequisites: Career level 3+, any 1 Basic Skill feat. Benefit: Choose 1 Basic Skill feat you possess. When you fail an unopposed check with a skill covered by the chosen feat that requires longer than 1 round to complete, you may stop mid-way through and begin again, as shown on Table 3.1: False Start Timing. If an aborted skill check requires money or materials, only 1/2 are spent or used up (rounded down). These materials must be replaced before you may restart the skill check. Further, when you take 20 with any skill covered by the chosen Basic Skill feat, it requires only 15 × the skill’s standard required time. Special: You may choose this feat multiple times, each time applying it to a different Basic Skill feat you possess. Fleeting Victory You can be downright hostile when you lose. Prerequisites: Career Level 6+, any 1 Basic Skill feat. Benefit: When you make an opposed check using a skill covered by one of your Basic Skill feats and your opponent scores a threat or critical success against you, you may spend 1 action die to force the target to discard 1 action die or suffer the effects of a successful Cheap Shot trick (if the target is an NPC, the GC discards this die). You may use this ability a number of times per session equal to the number of Advanced Skill feats you possess. Grand Skill Mastery You excel with a particular set of related activities. Prerequisites: Career level 12+, any 1 Advanced Skill Mastery feat. Benefit: Choose 1 Advanced Skill Mastery feat you possess. The insight bonus with skill and Knowledge checks granted by the chosen feat increases from +3 to +4, and the listed skills’ base threat range becomes 17–20. Further, your action die cost to activate a threat as a critical success with one of the listed skills decreases by 1 (minimum 0). Special: You may choose this feat multiple times, each time applying it to a different Advanced Skill Mastery feat you possess. I Can Swim You’re just full of surprising talents. Benefit: Beginning with the level at which you gain this feat, you need not spend skill points when you gain them. Instead, you may, as a free action before making any skill check, spend your remaining skill points to purchase ranks in the skill being used. This does not allow you to exceed your standard maximum skill rank. All unspent skill points must be spent before you gain each subsequent level. Mark of a Professional You’re not just good, you’re fast! Prerequisites: Career level 9+, False Start. Benefit: Choose 1 False Start feat. Your error range with any check made using a skill covered by the chosen feat decreases by 1 (minimum 1). Further, the time required for any unopposed check using one of these skills decreases to 1/2 standard (minimum 1 round). Special: You may choose this feat multiple times, each time applying it to a different False Start feat you possess. Perfect Skill Mastery You’re a leading expert in a particular field. Prerequisites: Career level 18+, any 1 Grand Skill Mastery feat. Benefit: Choose 1 Grand Skill Mastery feat you possess. The insight bonus with skill and Knowledge checks granted by the chosen feat increases from +4 to +5, and the listed skills’ base threat range becomes 16–20. Further, you may re-roll up to 3 failed checks per session, though you may not re-roll the same check more than once and you may not re-roll a critical failure. Special: You may choose this feat multiple times, each time applying it to a different Grand Skill Mastery feat you possess. Photographic Memory Your mind captures and stores an amazing array of information. Prerequisites: Career level 1 only (when the feat is chosen). Benefit: You may make Knowledge checks as active checks. Further, you gain a +2 insight bonus with all Knowledge checks, and your threat range with them becomes 19–20. Finally, you may spend 1 round to take 10, or 1 minute to take 20, with Knowledge checks. Practice Makes Perfect You hardly know how to screw up anymore. Prerequisites: Career level 15+, Mark of a Professional. Benefit: Choose 1 Mark of a Professional feat. When making a check with any skill covered by the chosen feat, any natural roll below 10 that isn’t an error becomes 10. Further, when you suffer an error with a skill covered by the chosen feat, your opponents’ action die cost to activate it as a critical failure increases by 1. Precision Practice You continue to refine your skills long after you move on to new things. Prerequisites: Career Level 6+. Benefit: Choose 1 base class in which you possess 5 or more levels. You may use your career level in place of your class level when determining the effects of abilities granted by the chosen class. Rising Star Your meteoric rise seems to some like destiny. Prerequisites: Career Level 1 only (when the feat is chosen). Benefits: You may begin choosing from expert classes at Career Level 4 and master classes at Career Level 9, though you must still meet all other requirements before doing so. Further, the first time you suffer exposure during a mission, the Reputation or Net Worth penalty decreases by 2 or $100,000 (minimum 0 or $0), as appropriate. Talented Your skill mastery often takes people by surprise. Benefit: Choose 1 Basic Skill feat (whether you possess it or not). Each skill covered by the chosen feat is always a class skill for you, and each time you purchase 1 rank with one of them, you also gain 1 rank with the other (not to exceed your maximum skill rank for either skill). Further, your result cap with each skill covered by the chosen feat increases by 5. Training You devote much of your training and free time to various skills you might need in the field. Benefit: You gain 5 skill points. When you spend these points to purchase skill ranks, you always gain 1 rank per skill point spent, even if the skill is typically cross-class for you. Special: You may choose this feat multiple times, each time gaining 5 additional skill points with the same benefits. Unfair Advantage Your experience allows you to maximize every favorable break. Prerequisites: Career level 6+, at least 1 Basic Skill feat. Benefit: Each time you gain an insight bonus with a skill check, the bonus increases by +1. Unlocked Potential You possess a natural gift. Prerequisites: Career level 1 only (when the feat is chosen). Benefit: Choose 1 skill. This skill is always a class skill for you, and your maximum rank with the skill increases by 3 (to your career level + 6). This skill’s maximum rank may not be increased by any other character option or effect, however. At Level 1 and each time you gain a level, you must increase your chosen skill to its maximum possible rank before you may spend skill points on any other skill. Well-Rounded You’ve dabbled in many different fields. Prerequisites: Training. Benefit: Your result cap with each skill with which you possess 0 ranks increases by 5. Further, each time you spend 1 or more action dice to boost a skill check result, your check cap increases by 10 (maximum 60). Finally, your cost to purchase ranks 1, 2, and 3 in any skill is 1 skill point per rank, even if the skill is cross-class for you. Category:Feats Category:Advanced Skill Feats